December 2014 Archives

Though it’s expected to be chilly tonight, Denver police and law enforcement agencies across Colorado say the heat will be on drivers who have had too much to drink. “The Heat is On” is the name of the DUI enforcement campaign that kicks into action 12 times a year around holidays.

The biggest party of the year is often on the very last night of the year. We have written in recent days about the increased patrols law enforcement agencies have planned for the Denver metro area and across the state of Colorado, so it’s time to prepare for New Year’s Eve.

Most readers probably already know that alcohol acts as a depressant on the human brain. But it does more than that, even acting indirectly to stimulate the brain. That indirect stimulation might be one of the biggest reasons humans have been consuming alcohol for thousands of years.

Just a few miles northwest of Denver sits suburban Broomfield. Early last month there was a tragic car accident in the town in which a 16-year-old Broomfield High School student was struck and killed while he was getting into his car.

Regular readers of our blog about DUI defense will recall that in our most recent post, we warned drivers of upcoming New Year’s Eve enforcement patrols. Not only will the Denver Police Department have extra cars and officers in strategic spots that night looking for drunken drivers, but so will other metro departments.

Christmas time and New Year’s Eve are for many people the happiest times of year. Friends and families get together to celebrate the bonds that tie us together and to mark the passage of another year together.

On behalf of Shazam Kianpour of Shazam Kianpour & Associates, P.C. posted in Field Sobriety Tests on Wednesday, December 17, 2014.

As our regular readers will recall, a few days ago we wrote about what a Denver driver pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving might expect from the police officer. After your driver’s license has been examined, you might well be asked to take a field sobriety test.

On behalf of Shazam Kianpour of Shazam Kianpour & Associates, P.C. posted in Field Sobriety Tests on Monday, December 15, 2014.

There is no mistaking the harsh, flashing glare of Denver police car lights. The piercing lights immediately alert you and everyone in the vicinity that a police officer wants you to pull your vehicle over. If the officer is stopping you on suspicion of drunken driving, it's quite possible that he or she will ask you to perform a field sobriety test. (Refusal to take the test means a one-year Colorado driver's license suspension.)

For many people who reside in the state of Colorado, smartphones have become completely integrated into their lives. This is not surprising when one considers all that it can do. When an issue or question arises? There's an app for that. While some of the apps are unnecessary, others can actually be of use.

Being suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol can be very upsetting, especially when this suspicion follows a serious accident. A person can be hurt, confused, disoriented and very scared in these situations; but one thing that should not be a concern at that time is that the police will execute a personal search without a warrant.

Drunk driving charges can be very complicated, and they often depend heavily on factors that may or may not have played a role in an alleged offense. Charges can reflect the level of a person's intoxication, the driver's age and whether injuries were suffered in an accident or not.

As the law currently stands, Colorado does not have a felony DUI law in place. What that means is the maximum punishment for drunk driving is one year in county jail, no matter how many previous DUI convictions the person has.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives out a variety of useful information on a wide range of subjects: from Active Bacterial Core surveillance to Zygomycosis, the CDC covers health issues from A to Z.

If you are like many Colorado residents, you probably have multiple holiday parties and events to keep you busy this month from office outings to ugly sweater soirees. And maybe you are even throwing holiday festivity of your own.

With the relaxed laws on recreational marijuana use in Colorado the prospect of being accused of driving under the influence of marijuana seem to be on the rise. In Colorado, state law allows prosecutors to seek DUID charges based upon a chemical test showing five or more nanograms of THC present in the driver’s blood.

You might recall an odd news story from earlier this year about a party involving two Denver police officers and their wives. According to news reports, one couple had the other couple over to their house for drinks back in May. By the time the evening wore down, the four had allegedly engaged in a drunken brawl at the home.

The cranberries have been passed around the table, along with the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. The football games have been watched and the naps have been taken. Thanksgiving is once more in the rearview mirror, so it’s time to look back at those who saw police car lights go on this past holiday weekend.

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